OK. I’m under time pressure here – my laptop has just swallowed a completed blog and refuses to cough it up again. Anyway, for the benefit of those doing other, more life-enhancing things last night than watching RTÉ’s Prime Time, or who are suffering from hearing loss or are in need of a map for Specsavers, here are some things I wanted to say then and still want to say now.
1. I consider sexual crimes such as rape or child molestation as cruel, cowardly and revolting. Those guilty of such crimes should be pursued until they are caught and should then be subjected to the full rigour of the law.
2. I consider sexual crimes such as rape or child molestation as cruel, cowardly and revolting. Those guilty of such crimes should be pursued until they are caught and should then be subjected to the full rigour of the law.
3. I consider sexual crimes such as rape or child molestation as cruel, cowardly and revolting. Those guilty of such crimes should be pursued until they are caught and should then be subjected to the full rigour of the law.
Yes I know I’ve done that in triplicate. It’s not a secretarial error; it’s to emphasise so there’s no doubt about my views on the matter.
I also wanted to stress this on Prime Time’s balcony and I’d like draw attention to it again now.
1. To accuse someone of a crime requires the support of evidence. That’s what the law is built on. I may say that my neighbour is a tax cheat but if I can’t supply evidence for the charge, I may rightly find myself receiving the attention of the law, not my neighbour. A world where accusation of guilt is seen as equating conviction of guilt is a world where witch-hunts thrive.
2. To accuse someone of a crime requires the support of evidence. That’s what the law is built on. I may say that my neighbour is a tax cheat but if I can’t supply evidence for the charge, I may rightly find myself receiving the attention of the law, not my neighbour. A world where accusation of guilt is seen as equating conviction of guilt is a world where witch-hunts thrive.
3.To accuse someone of a crime requires the support of evidence. That’s what the law is built on. I may say that my neighbour is a tax cheat but if I can’t supply evidence for the charge, I may rightly find myself receiving the attention of the law, not my neighbour. A world where accusation of guilt is seen as equating conviction of guilt is a world where witch-hunts thrive.
Yes, I’ve done it again, and for the same reasons.
My debating partner (in a warm Dublin studio) was Niall Collins of Fianna Fail. As I tried to say, I don’t blame him for doing his best to attack Sinn Féin – they are his party’s main rivals at a turning point in Irish political history. Where I find myself recoiling is where political fisticuffs are dressed up as compassion for a potential victim of rape or sexual abuse. Political opportunism masquerading as compassion carries a distinct stench of hypocrisy. As with the other two points I’ve listed above, that seems to me fairly self-evident. But then, there are none so blind as those who will not see the need for a visit to Specsavers.
I think the overkill by politicians and media on this topic may backfire, just as it did last time. People don’t like to be taken for fools.
I’ll have to watch it again to confirm, Jude – did Niall ‘totally reject’ your point regarding the importance of due process ?
That’s quite a strange position for a democrat to adopt. Even stranger when said democrat is busy accusing others of setting up kangaroo courts !
Well said again . Makes perffect sense !
i did not see the program as i refuse to watch prime time and listen to pro british and west brit propaganda aimed entirely at sinn fein but then what do you expect as rte is run by a brit and the rest are either stoops like tommy gorman, and o’callaghan ( remember how do you sleep at night martin mc guinness ) or former stickies and now labour party supporters like joe duffy who by the way has me barred from his show because i highlighted the nally case and the fg parties efforts by using mayo gaa ( at the time the county board and the connacht council were controlled by kennys fg supporters in mayo) to have him released from jail after he murdered a travelling man by shooting him in the back as he ran away from him any way i digress
as i took an early night and preferring not listen to any further political unbalanced views i left my wife to it who later told me that you were treated very very badly and unable to make your point and i assume it was a point or points RTE did not want to be heard SECTION 31 WELCOME BACK !!!!!
The people who are using possible victims for political gain are the lowest of the low, they have no scruples but it would not matter whether you made your points ten times over Jude, they KNOW they are using these possible crimes for their own ends, they don`t care. Like I don`t care and will still vote for Sinn Féin.
Gerry Adams is guilty?
Of what?
I don’t know, but most of the papers, radio and tv say so – and they wouldn’t tell lies or bend truth, would they?
Paudie McGahon was sexually assaulted (allegedly) in his own bedroom of his parents’ house, so Gerry Adams gets the blame.
Paid passed his complaint to a Sinn Fein man Mr McGeough and Arthur Morgan who both strongly advised him to go to the Gardai. Mr Morgan followed his verbal advice with a letter in which he also offered to accompany Paudie.
We have not been told what guidance he got from his parents. He did tell them first, I’m sure.
But because they could not convince their son to do the right thing its Gerry Adams’ fault.
When the British army, the UDR, the B Specials, the RUC have done wrong (like murder), we were told it was ‘just a few bad apples’. Nobody pilloried their leaders or blamed them for not reporting their crimes.
How come somebody appointed Gerry Adams to be responsible for seemingly every crime in the country, north or south?
Wee modest timorous beastie – that’s what I thought on seeing you volunteering to be abused on RTE last night.
Jude, you’re just not arrogant/ignorant or aggressive enough to cope with that world.
I blame your parents for bringing you up respectably and not able to hide your good manners.
You’re right about the beast part, Sherdy. Not sure about the modest and timorous bit…
I saw the RTE programme after many crashes of the Rte i-player…very frustrating. There’s no doubt that there is a sexual obsession in the southern media …or an obsession with all things sexual….which is blinding them to the very notion of trial by law itself. you know ..a crime and evidence and final punishment…
This latest thing with one republican raping another republican while sharing the same “safe house”….is obviously politically driven and the fear of the rise of Sinn Fein can not be disguised whether or not you side with their political agenda or not. They are feared so much it is almost embarrassing watching the pundits and their southern political rivals wriggle an argument into the most specious of scenarios.
What is very apparent is the total disconnect in the south as to how things actually were here during the madness of the Troubles. They appear to have no idea at all.Whether or not Gerry Adams was aware of the sexual predilections of every republican volunteer or was even interested in them was surely peripheral to his already very busy political life and is a point they seem to miss. You might as well ask Maggie Thatcher why she bent over backwards to give Jimmy Savile a knighthood or why she invited that child-molester to downing Street for tea .You could also have asked the late Lady Di why she thought Savile was a good choice of friend to have …or why the Queen {Her Maj} was happy to have her portrait painted by Rolf Harris.
The fact is none of us can control any of these people anyway. I think there was a rape and that if there is evidence , both these men should have their day in court. It shouldn’t matter that both the rapist and the victim were both outlawed republicans at the time of the crime and really that should be an end to it.It’s ludicrous to believe that anyone in this sad adventure would ever have gone near a lawman at the time of the incident because they were both already guilty of breaking the laws of the land with their involvement in republican activity. They both , apparently were in differing ways.They were hardly going to go to the men that they spent so much time avoiding!!
This terrible crime had nothing to do with their politics anyway or their involvement in republicanism. It is a crime of the abuse of power between two humans …one older more powerful individual taking advantage of the other’s youth and comparative powerlessness.
The crime was not made public for some time afterwards and really needs to be dealt with in a court of law and not on a television programme. I think you tried manfully to make that very point ,Jude…
Every organisation has a criminal element within its ranks. There’s nothing new here. Just look at the BBC or take a look at the political classes.Maybe someone out there can make a neat list of the politicians that have been through the courts in this past thirty years.
There is a concerted campaign afoot for sometime now to destroy Sinn Fein at all costs. This involves the southern government, Fianna Fáil ( both for the obvious reason of self preservation). The establishment media are their cheerleaders. If you don’t believe me, just read this weeks IT editorial on the fall out from the Stormont row. Having avoided the truth of the detail, it finishes by asking what party in its right mind would go into government with Sinn Fein. Now they are all latching on to the Nc Gahon case, for the same reason. The hypocrisy of it all is mind blowing!
At the very end of the interview [sic] Niall Collins stated ‘why would they say these things if it wasn’t true’. So for Mr Collins the allegation is enough for conviction. For someone being touted as the next leader of FF after Martin that is bizarre. Bypass the Gardai and courts and if someone says something loud enough then that is good enough for Mr Collins.
Trying to thrust yourself to the front of the mob does cloud the judgement just a tad.